Wednesday, July 20, 2016

This week I'm jumping back into the blogging world by joining Minute Mommy's Summer Reading Stash blog hop. My absence was due to having a sweet baby boy last fall. Life with two little ones has kept me busy. I've missed blogging, so I was super excited for the opportunity to join in on this hop!

This week we are all sharing our favorite book characters. I LOVE books! Reading to students has always been one of my favorite things to do as a teacher. Here are 5 books with some of my favorite characters.

Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park
This was the first character I thought of when I started to think about this post. I've read at least one Junie B. Jones book to each of my first grade classes. Students LOVE her, and so do I! I own the complete series. The series is told from Junie's point of view as a kindergartner and first grader. She is hilarious and the kids totally relate to her. They are short chapter books and I like to use them as a read aloud after lunch recess. I found this to be the best time for me to read them to my class because the students need some time to settle down and refocus for the classroom. Because the students enjoy the books so much, they have a more vested interest in getting back into classroom mode. They can't wait to hear what Junie does next!

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
I'm sure every K-1 teacher has read this book, but if you haven't it's really a must read. Students love this sweet mouse and all his shenanigans. There are several mouse books, as well as other animal characters in the "If You Give" series. My favorite of those books to read is If You Take a Mouse to School. You can find a unit of activities to go with this book in my store or by clicking the picture below.

Elmer by David McKee
Elmer is a unique elephant who thinks he wants to be like everyone else. He soon realizes he loves the way he is, and so do all the other elephants. A great character building book. There are several Elmer books but the one above is where you should start!

Stella & Sam by Marie-Louise Gay
Stella and Sam are brother and sister. Stella has a wonderful imagination and her relationship with her brother is so sweet. They are a great example of getting along with others. There are 5 Stella books and several Sam books. Stella, Star of the Sea is the first book.

Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold
All of the Fly Guy books were immensely popular with my first graders, especially with the boys. They were almost always checked out at the library. This endearing book is about a boy who enters a fly into a pet show. Fly Guy is smart and impresses everyone with what he can do. There are over 10 books in the series.

I hope I've introduced you to some of your new favorite characters! Click on the button below to head on over to Kay's blog and read all about her favorites!